The moon hung low, casting silver light over Akane Resort's tranquil grounds. Inside the rooms, Fairy Tail's finest slept unaware of the danger inching closer.
Shinra stood alert on his balcony, eyes scanning the shadowed trees beyond the resort walls. His hands moved deliberately, weaving subtle barrier enchantments, tightening the magical web around his friends.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from the treeline.
Figures cloaked in dark robes materialized—Jellal's men, experts in stealth and subterfuge, their presence a silent declaration of the coming storm.
With swift grace, Shinra disappeared from the balcony, his body blending into the night as he raced through corridors, alerting his comrades with quiet, urgent gestures.
---
Inside the rooms, subtle vibrations stirred the sleepers.
Erza's eyes snapped open, muscles tensing.
Lucy bolted upright, hand grasping the celestial key at her neck.
Natsu leapt from bed, flames flickering on his palms.
Gray's breath froze in mid-air, ice crystals shimmering along his fingertips.
Shinra's calm voice cut through the rising panic.
"Stay together. This is no ordinary raid."
He gathered them in the main hall where light from the moon filtered through stained glass, painting their faces with ominous hues.
Outside, moonlight glimmered off the surface of the waves as four figures emerged silently from the shadows along the shoreline. Their movements were precise, deliberate — the silent echoes of a shared mission.
Simon, Wally, Millianna, and Sho: old friends once bound by camaraderie with Erza Scarlet, now agents carrying a dark command.
Simon's sharp eyes scanned the resort, lips pressed in a hard line.
"Jellal's orders were clear," he whispered. "Erza Scarlet must be brought back to the Tower of Heaven. No mistakes."
Wally cracked his knuckles. "She won't make it easy."
Millianna smiled faintly, her eyes unreadable. "Then we'll remind her who she once was."
Sho adjusted his cards, "This is what we were trained for. Let's finish it."
Back at the resort, Shinra's senses flared first—a ripple of tension he had been preparing for.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
A silent alert pulsed through the runes Shinra had cast.
"Guests," Shinra murmured, standing and glancing toward the windows.
Erza's face paled.
"It's them," she whispered, voice low and steady.
Simon and the others moved with deadly precision, bypassing the wards with skilled counter-spells.
Sho's card flickered as he silently disabled a protective rune.
In moments, they were inside the resort's inner grounds.
Erza drew her sword, muscles tensing as old memories washed over her.
"I never wanted this to come back," she said quietly, stepping protectively in front of everyone.
----
The air around Akane Resort had grown tense, the night cloaked in quiet that seemed too heavy for such a peaceful place. The clash was inevitable, and it came suddenly.
Erza stood firm, gripping her sword tightly, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. Across from her, Simon's eyes flickered with dark intent, his hands weaving a shadowy pattern as dark magic swirled at his fingertips.
"Erza… why did you have to leave like that?" Simon's voice was low but edged with frustration, not just anger.
Erza's jaw tightened. "I left to protect all of you. To protect myself."
Simon's magic burst forward, a blast of twisting shadows that forced Erza to raise her shield quickly. The dark energy crashed against her barrier, and the sound of impact echoed like distant thunder.
Millianna cracked her whip, the magical strands glowing as she advanced with a calm but determined gaze. "You've changed, Erza. You think this will fix anything?"
Erza's eyes flickered with pain beneath her armor. "It's not about fixing what's broken anymore. It's about moving forward."
Millianna's whip snapped, aimed precisely to disable Erza's magic, and Erza barely managed to block it, the whip's strands sizzling against her defense.
Sho's presence was subtle but dangerous. He flicked a card from his fingers, sending it spinning like a razor toward Erza. She dodged, but the cards came fast, forcing her to shift defensively.
"You're too stubborn," Wally growled.
Beside her, Shinra was a calm presence, weaving protective spells and creating openings for Erza. While the others were not interrupting this fight due to her earlier request.
But inside, Erza's heart was torn.
Each strike from her former friends was a reminder of the bonds she had severed. The laughter they once shared now twisted into conflict. She struggled to reconcile the warmth of memories with the cold reality before her.
"Why must it be this way?" she whispered in a rare moment of vulnerability, her sword lowering briefly.
Shinra caught her gaze, steady and reassuring. "Because some battles aren't just about the sword. They're about the heart."
Erza nodded slightly, gripping her sword again with renewed resolve.
The fight surged on, a brutal dance of strength, magic, and emotion.
Simon's dark magic clawed at her defenses.
Millianna's whip threatened to sever her magical connections.
Sho's cards cut through the air like slicing regrets.
Wally's block magic battered her shield relentlessly.
But Erza stood, every strike fueling her determination.
She wasn't just fighting to survive.
She was fighting to reclaim herself.